1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reader-printer for projecting or printing an image, for example, of a microfilm, and more particularly to a film carrier for a reader-printer that enables the reader-printer to project images of roll film and fiche film.
2. Related Background Art
There are readers for projecting images recorded in a microfilm to a screen and reader-printers having a function to print the recorded images in addition to the function to project the recorded images. Types of microfilms used in image projecting apparatus such as the readers and the reader-printers are classified into roll films, which are roll-type films such as open-reel films, and sheet films, which are sheet-type films such as microfiches and aperture cards.
There are conventional devices for allowing projection of these two types of films.
An example employs a carrier for roll film (hereinafter referred to as a roll carrier) and a carrier for sheet film (hereinafter referred to as a sheet carrier) separate from each other, and either one of them is set at a projection position.
In this example, the roll carrier and sheet carrier cannot be simultaneously set in the projection apparatus, which forces an operator to perform a mounting and dismounting or exchanging operation of carriers to the projection apparatus, resulting in necessitating time and labor.
The bulletin of Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 57-163223 discloses the film carrier that permits either type of microfilm, both the roll film and the microfiche, to be used. In the conventional microfilm carrier as disclosed in the bulletin, a carrier plate movable in right-and-left directions is mounted on a movable carrier movable in front-and-back directions relative to the main body of the image projection apparatus such as the reader, and a carrier glass for microfiche and a carrier glass for roll film are unitarily mounted on the carrier plate.
Since the above conventional microfilm carrier is so arranged that the two carrier glasses are shifted back and forth on the carrier plate so as to move together with the carrier plate, the film carrier becomes large in the front-and-back directions, which necessitates forming a carrier moving portion of a large area in the front-and-back directions and also necessitates securing a large space for movement of the carrier moving portion, resulting in making operability poor. Further, because the portion for holding the roll film is located this side of the carrier glass for microfiche, the portion for holding the roll film obstructs loading the microfiche or manipulating the carrier glass for microfiche.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,890 discloses such an arrangement that the roll carrier and the sheet carrier are unitarily moved in the right-and-left directions to permit use of the roll film and the microfiche film, but it necessitates the carrier moving portion of a large area in the right-and-left directions and the carriers become large and heavy, which makes a size reduction difficult and the operability poor.
In addition, for using the microfiche film, the roll film on the roll carrier needs to be removed, which requires time and labor. Further, if one desires to project the roll film from the state of projecting the microfiche film, the sheet carrier needs to be retracted out of the optical path and then the roll film needs to be loaded on the roll carrier, which also requires time and labor. In other words, it is impossible to project the roll film and the microfiche film as readily changing over between them.
Further, if the operator moved the roll carrier while the roll film was loaded on the roll carrier, there were problems that the roll film was damaged and that components of the carrier were broken.